A Father's Intuition
by FF Demon
Summary: After some hard times, Splinter has a bad feeling about Donatello and decide to talk to him. Somtimes, father eyes can see more than normal eyes. Set between “Insane in the membrane” and Return of Savanti Romero, Part I. [oneshot]


Hello everyone, it's me again with another one-shot.

This one takes place at the same time that the event of "Insane in the membrane" and just before "Return of Savanti Romero, Part I". If you didn't see any of them, I think you can understand that fanfiction. The first part is a rip off of a scene of "Insane in the membrane". That came when I was listening to it.

Just a little moment between Donatello and Splinter.

Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: TMNT, Splinter, April, Casey and all the others are the property of Mirage Studio. I make no money with that, just use a bit of imagination.

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A Father's Intuition.

Splinter was observing his four sons in the garage of the new lair. When he has seen Donatello collect his brothers to show them something, he couldn't resist and followed them. He was silently post in the doorframe, but his young charges didn't seem to have seen him. The old rat has decided to not let his presence know, if Donatello didn't ask him to come, it was because he was unsure of the reaction of the others. The purple clad turtle never show his new creation to his father at least he was sure that it was perfect. Even after all this year and inventions, Donatello was always affray to disappoint his master by failing, something that the rat never really understood about his second youngest.

Donatello was smoothing the big cloth that covered his last _baby_. "So what's that big surprise already?" Raphael asks, showing a bit of impatience. Splinter shook his head with a little smile, asking himself if his second oldest would one day learn patience. Don seems to tense a bit, but he walked to the giant creation and took a hand of the cloth. "Well, after months of work, I give you..." He pulls the large cloth, unveiling a large white, orange and green moving van. "The new Battleshell."

Splinter couldn't help the proud smile to come to his lips at the look of the moving van. That vehicle was stealthier than the last Battleshell; it seems to the rat that his intelligent son was thinking more like a true ninja. The silence of his brothers washes away the small confidence in Donatello's frame. "Where? Inside the moving van?" Michelangelo asks, picking between his two older brothers. "No…it is the moving van." the purple clad turtle answered turning around. The ninjitsu master, from his position in the doorframe, could clearly see the disappointment in his second youngest face, but he rapidly covered it with a fake smirk as Raphael put his hand on his shoulder. "Umm bro, I know you have felt under the weather lately…but come on…" he teased his brainiac brother.

Donatello doesn't answer and take the remote control out of his belt. "Perhaps a small demonstration…" Splinter was torn between amazement of seeing what his son could do with his six fingers and sadness of seeing his other sons been so hard with their brother. Sure any of them was realizing how hard Donatello had work to please them…without them giving all the credit he should have.

The old rat frowns as Donatello show the different weapons on the new vehicle. Two questions were plaguing his mind: where did Donatello find these dangerous weapons and, more importantly, why did he even put them on the Battleshell at the first place if this was totally against his pacific nature? Splinter looked back at his other son. The demonstration was finally getting their attention. Leonardo was listening and analyzing all the information like the tactician he was, all that could be useful for a mission was registered in his quick mind. Raphael and Michelangelo were excited like children on Christmas morning. "That is the true reason?" the rat thinks sadly. Again it was to make his brothers happy.

He resists to the urge to go to them and say something that could make his second youngest feel better about his project, but he knows that Donatello would be more embarrassed if he came right now. Suddenly the shell cell rings making everyone stop. They all know that their friend never use the little device, again one of Donatello creations, without a good reason and good reason always be danger. "Hello?" Don answers a bit worried. "Guys…its Stockman…his back and he have taken April!" Casey announces.

Splinter frown deeply feeling his heart miss a beat. April was a deep friend of their family, the first human that became friends with them and now he could consider her as his own daughter. As his four students took place in the Battleshell, he walks to the driver's window. "Be careful my sons, Stockman seem least stable that he ever was…do not take harsh action that could be dangerous for you or April." He advises. Donatello nod. "Don't worry sensei."

The rat step back and look at the van as it drove out the garage. He signs with his heavy old heart. Every time his sons rush out like that, the father in him was always terrified by the idea that one or all of them would not come back. Slowly he returns to the main part of the lair and prepare some thong in the infirmary, whishing that would not be necessary.

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Five hours later

Splinter could finally put his mother hen mode at the side. April was safe at Casey's apartment and his sons were all unhurt in their room. Leonardo has told him about Stockman horrible fate, event if the human was their enemy, no one should have that kind of fate.

The old rat was about to go to his own room and get some rest, when he noticed that the light was still on in Donatello's room. Remembering what happened in the garage before his student had to rescue their friend; he decided to see his second youngest son. Splinter knocks softly at the door and enters when his son invited him to do so. The young mechanic was sitting on his bed, his right leg resting on a pillow, and seems to be making some complicated calculation as some candle give him some light. "Hello sensei…What can I do for you?" He asks about to get up. The rat put his paw on his shoulder stopping him. "Sorry to disturb you, my son, I just want to make sure you are alright. The pressure on you has been great since we were chased out our old home." He said softly, sitting down on the bed facing the turtle.

That was an understatement. Since Karai had destroyed their home and the beginning of the virus outbreak, Donatello didn't have a moment for himself. He worked on fixing up all the commodity in the lair, on some new gears to help them fight the monsters created by the agent Bishop, working with Leatherhead on some possible cure and finding time to construct a new Battleshell, all that between training and fighting against the outbreak. Donatello just looks back at the note he had in hand, unable to make eye contact. "Oh, don't worries master Splinter. I'm fine." He answered before he had been cut by a powerful sneeze. Some "Gazuntai" and "bless you" was heard from his brothers somewhere in the lair. "Oh…I see that, my son."

Donatello sniffs a bit and makes apologies look to his father. "Sorry about that sensei." The rat takes a clean rag and gives it to his son, so he could blow his nose. "It is alright my son. You should take that "little bug" has you call it, more seriously. You should rest. You body reclaimed it, that the reason of your illness my son. You have to take better care of yourself Donatello." The teenager take the rag, muttering under his breath: "I'm taking care of myself." As he blow his nose, Splinter look at his bandaged tight. "Not as much as you should have. When is the last time you cleaned your wound?" The guilty look on his son face tells him the entire story.

Splinter signs. It was always the same story with Donatello, he puts his own well being behind everything else. Right now it was too much "anything else" for him to continue like that. The ninja master spots a small first aid kit on Don's desk and takes it. "Let me take a look at it, Donatello. This cut is obviously bothering you." It was more an order that a request. The purple clad turtle didn't try to argument with his father, that would be really unwise, and moves so his wounded tight was resting on Splinter's one.

The rat gently unbandages the wound and cleans it with all the father love he could. He was really worried. At first, the cut seemed to only be a little injury, nothing to be worry, but it seems to not heal like it should. The turtles have proved many times that their bodies were healing faster that normal people, surely because of their mutated DNA. So the fact of that cut take so much time to heal and now the flu was worrying Splinter more than ever.

He continues to take care of his son's wound, but decide to change the subject of the discussion. If he insisted too much, Donatello would close itself in a shy muteness, he never liked to be in the spot light for too long. "I have seen your new creation my son; again you impressed me. This new Battleshell, with that kind of disguise, its one of your masterpiece Donatello." The teenager seems uncomfortable. "I was hoping that I could fix some little thing before I could show it to you." Donatello mutters, blushing a bit. "There are so many imperfections to adjust."

Splinter put his hand on his son's shoulder, knowing that what happened in the garage has plagued him. "Donatello. You don't need so much pressure on your shoulders. Who said that you haven't took care of these adjustments. Your brothers?" The rat asks. Don shakes his head. "So, the demands have been made by April, Casey or Leatherhead?" the older mutant continue. His student was puzzled. "No master." Splinter makes the impression to think a moment. "Did I ask you?" Don shakes his head again. "Iie sensei." At his son confusion, the rat continues. "So the only person that could give you so much pressure, it's yourself?" The young mechanic sign and look down on his knee pad. "Hai"

Splinter look at his son with soft eyes. "We are our own worst critic, my son. In your art of creation, you often remember me of Leonardo. Sometimes you are so focused, but some other time, likes this one, you seem, like Leonardo after our final showdown with the Shredder, so obsessed that I'm affray for your well being." He confesses, his voice filled with concern. "Why are you never pleasde by your realization and put so much pressure on yourself?"

The purple clad turtle was not able to look at his father. The old ninja have always been able to read any of his sons like an open book and sometimes Donatello felt uneasy a bit. Even with his father, he didn't like to feel so naked. They stayed in silence for a long moment, before the younger mutant decides to talk. "I think I want to make you proud, sensei…I know that my ninja skill is…under my brothers, so I try to be perfect in what make me special." Don says quietly, surprise by his own words. Did he really think that? "Yes?" answers a little harsh voice in his head.

Splinter looks sadly at his son, his words stabbing his aged heart. Sure ninjistu have taken a great place in there life, but never has he used it to classify his sons and certainly not to measure his love for each of them. All his sons were unique to his father eyes and each of them has particularities that made them special. The four of them were his pride and joy, since the day he fined them. To see that one of them was feeling so low in comparison to the others was breaking his heart. Mostly because it comes for the one son that always worked to make the life of the family more bearable and comfortable. He lifts his hand and caress Donnie's check. "Donatello…my child. I am proud of you, no matter what. I am proud of what kind of fine young man you have become; your ninja skill would never change that. I love all of you for who you are."

The young inventor turtle looked at his father with tearful eyes. "Thank you, sensei…I really need to hear that. Deep inside I know all of that, but I can't stop myself." He looks down again. "Some…Sometimes I have the impression that the fact to fix things in the lair is what I'm only good for…So I really apply myself there. The other guys didn't have any reason to come to me, except if they want an answer or that I fix something for them. I'm better to be good at it." Donatello rubs his tired eyes to chase the tear. Splinter could see that his son was exhausted, not only because of his body language, but he never let himself overreact like that, except if he can't control it. Like when he was sick.

Splinter finished to bandage the wound and slowly obligated his son to lie down. The turtle didn't complain and let his father tuck him in. It's only when his son was comfortable under his cover, when he decided to talk again. "My son, your brothers truly love you for who you are and not for what you do for them." He takes his son's hand. "Never doubt of there sincerity. They just have a hard time to show it." The look of disbelief in the purple clad turtle face makes him sign again. The old rat begins to massage his son's hand and forearm, trying to help him relax. "Donatello, why are you so septic about your brothers?"

Don looked at they're hands for some moment, searching for the best way to explain his feeling. "It…It's just that most of the time I have the impression that I bother them…They never try to understand my passion…I try my best to listen to Mikey when he talks about his comic books, talk with Leo about Sun Tzu art of combat or help Raph when he customs the Shellcycle…Why couldn't they just try to do the same for me." Donatello voice was sad and tired. His father just stood there, listening to his normally quiet son. He had the feeling that his son was keeping that inside for too long…Maybe his illness had some good point.

"Did you ever try to implicate them in one of your project?" He asks softly, massaging the other hand. Don shakes his head. "It's a lost case sensei…I ask them to help me, but they always find something else…something less bothering to do. Right now I just hope they could help a bit, I can't manage to fix the lair all by myself." Splinter nod. "I would talk with all of them on this matter. That's true that you shouldn't have to do all this work. I should have made this clear before." Donatello grips his father hand briefly, before letting him continue his massage. "It's ok sensei. They should've needed that you pushed them to help me." He closes his eye for a moment. "I need a vacation" His voice was tired, but light.

"I may have an idea of activity you could do to keep your mind away from all your work, Donatello." Splinter said softly getting his son's attention. "I read in the journal that the Natural history museum was the host for an important dinosaur's exposition. If I remember correctly you've always been fascinated by them." The smile on Donatello's face was enough for the old rat to know that he gave interest to his student. "Really? Wow that must be so wonderful. All the fossils and skeletons…" His smile feels a bit. "Just too bad I couldn't see it."

Splinter takes a deep breath. He knows that this decision was against all his teaching, but the look on his child face was enough to make an exception. "I do not recall someone saying that you couldn't." He answers with a small smile. The old rat has to control himself to not laugh at the expression of pure shock on his son's face. "B..but master Splinter you always tell us…" Donatello begins before being cut by his father. "I know what I have said, my son. It says that only a fool can't change his mind. I could make an exception for this time, but at one condition."

The genius turtle nod, ready to accept anything that could let him sees that exposition. Splinter smile at his student enthusiasm, event exhausted Donatello was always hungry for more knowledge. "You will have to be in company of April or Casey and your brothers." Donatello face feels again. "Sensei, sure April would not mind, but you know that the guys would never accept to come with me. Raph and Mikey surely prefer to be skin alive than in a museum." The ninjitsu master shook his head. "That's not negotiable, Donatello." The boy nod again trying to stop a yawn.

Splinter put his son hand down on the cover. "We will discuss of this matter tomorrow. Now all you need is to rest. I want you to take time to let your body fight this illness." He replaces the cover on his son, making sure he was warm and comfortable. "Hai Sensei." Don yawns again. "Goodnight Father." The rat smiles at the affection term. "Goodnight my son." He answers by giving a small kiss on the forehead, before blowing out the candle.

On the way to his own room, Splinter checks on all of his other sons. All of them were sound asleep. After kissing each of them, he prepares himself for the night. His mind was replaying all the discussion. The old rat knows that he have done his best to help his son, but he can't stop the felling that something else was wrong. He can't put his paw on what and it was bordering him greatly. Hopefully, Donatello would listen to him and let his body heal. This visit at the museum would be a good change and chase a bit of the worry that all his sons carry in the last few month. Maybe it would chase that bad feeling that crushes his ear. What could go wrong in a museum? It was with that last though that he set down for the night.

The End

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